Headlines - Topics from July, 2010

The Pike County Board of Commissioners will hold a special meeting on Saturday, July 31, at 10 a.m. in the board room to discuss the proposed SPLOST with mayors or officials from Pike's five municipalities.
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The Pike County commission provided for county operating funds for the rest of the year and authorized an approach to local banks for pre-project monies if the SPLOST is approved for courthouse repairs and improvements. The action took place at a called meeting July 21.
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Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.
In a large bowl, combine chicken, cheese, tomato sauce, liquid smoke, and hot sauce. Mix well and set aside.
Roll dough out, using a rolling pin, to a 12-inch circle. Spread chicken mixture over half of circle, to within 1-inch of the edge. Fold over untopped side so that it meets the other side, forming a half moon. Pinch the edges together to seal.
Transfer calzone to prepared baking sheet and brush the top with olive oil. Sprinkle the top with Parmesan. Using a sharp knife, make a few slits in the top to allow steam to escape during cooking. Bake 15 minutes, until puffed up and golden brown. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

For dip:
While the calzone is baking, in a small bowl, combine sour cream, blue cheese and chives.
Serve calzone sliced with sour cream dip on the side.[Full story »]

Pike County peaches are weighing down the limbs at orchards across the county. Gregg Farms in Hollonville has provided Pike with peaches since about 1960 when Patsy and John Gregg planted their first trees. Visitors to Gregg Farms can pick their own peaches from the orchard by the bushel or can buy already picked peaches and enjoy some homemade peach ice cream.
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Directions:
Combine the vegetable broth, 1/2 cup kosher salt, brown sugar and peppercorns in a medium saucepan and set over medium-high heat. Cook just until the salt and sugar dissolve, then remove from the heat and add the ice. Place the pork chops into a 2-gallon zip-top bag along with the mixture and seal. Place in a plastic container and refrigerate overnight.
Remove the chops from the brine, rinse, and pat dry. Season on both sides with the kosher salt and set aside
Place the apples in the slow cooker.
Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a 12-inch stainless steel saute pan over medium-high heat. Saute the pork chops on both sides until golden brown, approximately 5 to 6 minutes per side. Once browned, place the pork chops into the slow cooker atop the apples.
Add the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan followed by the onions and saute until they begin to brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the chicken broth to the pan to deglaze. Add the black pepper and thyme and stir to combine. Transfer this to the slow cooker, set to high, cover and cook for 1 1/2 hours. Decrease the heat to low and continue cooking for another 4 hours and 30 minutes or until the pork is tender and falling away from the bone.[Full story »]

Warden Edd Sanders at the West Central Pre-Release Center is trying to measure how successful inmate programs are in keeping them out of trouble after they are released. Since December, 119 women have been released from the center. As of July 1, 118 of them remain out of custody of local, state and federal authorities.
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When her neighbors on Bottoms Road moved away, Paula Nalley didn’t know they had left five dogs behind until two starving pups were seen near the street. She started feeding them and sent e-mails with pictures of the neglected dogs to her group of friends.
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Directions:
Place breasts in the center of a plastic food storage bag or 2 large sheets of waxed paper. Pound out the chicken from the center of the bag outward using a heavy-bottomed skillet or mallet. Be firm but controlled with your strokes.

Defrost spinach in the microwave. Transfer spinach to a kitchen towel. Twist towel around spinach and wring it out until very dry. Transfer to a medium-mixing bowl.

Place a nonstick skillet over moderate heat. When skillet is hot, add butter, mushrooms, garlic and shallot. Season with salt and pepper and saute 5 minutes. Transfer mushrooms, garlic and shallot to the food processor. Pulse to grind the mushrooms and transfer to the mixing bowl, adding the processed mushrooms to the spinach. Add ricotta and grated cheese to the bowl and the nutmeg. Stir to combine the stuffing. Return your skillet to the stove over medium high heat.

Place a mound of stuffing on each breast and wrap and roll breast over the stuffing. Secure breasts with toothpicks. Add 3 tablespoons oil to the pan, 3 turns of the pan. Add breasts to the pan and brown on all sides, cooking chicken 10 to 12 minutes. The meat will cook quickly because it is thin. Remove breasts; add butter to the pan and flour. Cook butter and flour for a minute, whisk in wine and reduce another minute. Whisk in broth and return breasts to the pan. Reduce heat and simmer until ready to serve. Remove toothpicks. Serve breasts whole or, remove from pan, slice on an angle and fan out on dinner plates. Top stuffed chicken breasts or sliced stuffed breasts with generous spoonfuls of the sauce.
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Pike County property owners would not have to shoulder the burden of taking care of the courthouse if local voters approve a renewal of the one-cent Special Local Option Sales Tax in November, Joy Walker told the county commissioners June 29.
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For Jody Harper, the most difficult part of managing the Pike County transfer station has nothing to do with the trash. It’s other things people often dump there. She says the number of animals abandoned at the center is disturbing. Feral cats live under dumpsters while dogs roam the area looking for trash to eat.
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